Getting to Scale with Visions of Equitable Teaching and Learning

William R. Penuel is a professor of learning sciences and human development in the School of Education at the University of Colorado Boulder. His current research examines conditions needed to implement rigorous, responsive, and equitable teaching practices in STEM education. With colleagues from across the country, he is developing and testing new models for supporting implementation through long-term partnerships between educators and researchers. Currently, Penuel has partnerships with large school districts and a national association of state science coordinators focused on implementing the vision of science education outlined in a Framework for K-12 Science Education. As a co-Principal Investigator of the Research+Practice Collaboratory (http://researchandpractice.org), he is developing resources to help people build and sustain research-practice partnerships.

Penuel has conducted numerous large-scale implementation and impact studies. These include a nationally representative implementation study of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program and impact studies of science and mathematics programs funded through grants from the Institute of Education Sciences, National Science Foundation, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and private companies such as Texas Instruments and Apple. Penuel is currently Principal Investigator for the National Center for Research in Policy and Practice (http://ncrpp.org), which is focused on how school and district leaders use research.